Tag: Bouquinistes

We got a bright and early start today. We had train tickets to travel from Brussels to Paris, but we had to get to Brussels first. That meant walking through Bruges 1.7 km (on cobblestone streets) to the train station. We left with plenty of time and ventured across town. This was not my favorite part of our trip and the kids and Jeff can attest to the fact that there was much swearing involved. Little did I know that it would get worse before it got better.The good news is that we made it with plenty of time to catch a train to get us to Brussels. The bad news (and what we did not know) was that one train line was down and our train would arrive 19 minutes late. We had a 20 minute transfer time and arrived just in time to see our Paris bound train pulling out of the station. Fortunately, the train line rebooked our tickets for the next train and upgraded os to a cushy first class cabin. We made it to Paris just after 1pm. Caught a taxi to the hotel and rested up for a bit. I had purchased some museum passes that required that I pick them up in person, so after a while we set out on foot to find the travel office. Google Maps said it was a 15 minute walk. Jeff, Kai and Kiki were not convinced that I had and idea where we were going me and found a bench to sit and wait about 3/4 of the way there. I found the office without a hitch, picked up the passes and reunited with my exhausted family. Along the way we were about to see many sights, including the Louvre courtyard and famous pyramid, Notre Dame Cathedral, Pont Neuf, Pont des Arts, Fontaine Saint-Michel and many Bouquinistes, riverside booksellers that also sell a variety of trinkets and souvenirs. We were all exhausted from a long day, so we returned to the hotel. Jeff wanted to get out and see Paris at night, so he took a stroll through the Saint-Germain area near our hotel. He was able to capture some breathtaking pictures of Notre Dame Cathedral and witness the excitement of a warm summer Paris night along the river Seine. He even brought us delightfully delicious pizza, which we devoured before drifting off to sleep.